Team HORST welcomed the students by putting on a big time show of manufacturing pride. In just a few hours, the students and their teacher covered a lot of ground. They did a bunch of interviews with employees from all over our business. They learned about various functions and processes including customer service, engineering, material handling, quality engineering, inspection, purchasing, milling, deburring, turning, kitting, CNC programming, part marking, packaging, assembly, thread rolling, metallography, and grinding.

They got a wide-ranging tour from Scott Livingston, HORST Engineering’s president. Livingston said, “These students are so smart–we were thrilled to host them and be part of this effort to raise awareness about advanced manufacturing and the need to develop a new generation of skilled craftspeople.”

All three of our guest students are headed to top tier universities this fall, and you never know if down the road they will work in a manufacturing enterprise, or one that supports industry. Efforts like this go a long way towards erasing the stigma of manufacturing as a dead end career. It’s quite the opposite. Advanced manufacturing is a bright spot in Connecticut and the broader New England economy. The entire country is seeing a manufacturing resurgence as technical skilled jobs like CNC machining are in strong demand. The students met employees who have progressed within our organization, learned new skills, and grown in their roles.

The university route is often required for certain industries and careers, but HORST Engineering and other manufacturers offer a broad range of career opportunities and many do NOT require a college education. Between technical high schools, community colleges, and on the job workforce skills training, we are building the next generation workforce. We welcome people with a mechanical mindset, creativity, and a positive attitude.